staff

¹

[ staf, stahf ]

noun

, plural staffs staves [steyvz] or staffs

1. a group of persons, as employees, charged with carrying out the work of an establishment or executing some undertaking.
2. a group of assistants to a manager, superintendent, or executive.
3. a member of a staff.
4. Military.
   1. a body of officers without command authority, appointed to assist a commanding officer.
   2. the parts of any army concerned with administrative matters, planning, etc., rather than with actual participation in combat.
5. those members of an organization serving only in an auxiliary or advisory capacity on a given project. Compare line ¹( def 38 ).
6. a stick, pole, or rod for aid in walking or climbing, for use as a weapon, etc.
7. a rod or wand serving as a symbol of office or authority, as a crozier, baton, truncheon, or mace.
8. a pole on which a flag is hung or displayed.
9. something that supports or sustains.
10. Also . Music. a set of horizontal lines, now five in number, with the corresponding four spaces between them, on which music is written.
11. Archaic. the shaft of a spear, lance, etc.

adjective

1. of or relating to a military or organizational staff:

   a staff officer; staff meetings.

2. (of a professional person) employed on the staff of a corporation, publication, institution, or the like rather than being self-employed or practicing privately:

   a staff writer; staff physicians at the hospital.

verb (used with object)

1. to provide with a staff of assistants or workers:

   She staffed her office with excellent secretaries.

2. to serve on the staff of.
3. to send to a staff for study or further work (often followed by out ):

   The White House will staff out the recommendations before making a decision.

verb (used without object)

1. to hire employees, as for a new office or project (sometimes followed by up ):

   Next month we'll begin staffing up for the reelection campaign.

staff

²

[ staf, stahf ]

noun

1. a composition of plaster and fibrous material used for a temporary finish and in ornamental work, as on exposition buildings.

staff

¹

/ stɑːf /

noun

1. a group of people employed by a company, individual, etc, for executive, clerical, sales work, etc
2. modifier attached to or provided for the staff of an establishment

   a staff doctor

3. the body of teachers or lecturers of an educational institution, as distinct from the students
4. the officers appointed to assist a commander, service, or central headquarters organization in establishing policy, plans, etc
5. a stick with some special use, such as a walking stick or an emblem of authority
6. something that sustains or supports

   bread is the staff of life

7. a pole on which a flag is hung
8. a graduated rod used in surveying, esp for sighting to with a levelling instrument Usual US namerod
9. Also calledstave music
   1. the system of horizontal lines grouped into sets of five (four in the case of plainsong) upon which music is written. The spaces between them are also used, being employed in conjunction with a clef in order to give a graphic indication of pitch
   2. any set of five lines in this system together with its clef

      the treble staff

verb

1. tr to provide with a staff

staff

²

/ stɑːf /

noun

1. a mixture of plaster and hair used to cover the external surface of temporary structures and for decoration

Grammar Note

See collective noun.

Other Words From

• staffless adjective
• un·staffed adjective
• well-staffed adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of staff¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun staf(fe), stafte, Old English stæf, stæb; cognate with Dutch staf, German Stab, Old Norse stafr staff, Sanskrit root stabh- “support”

Origin of staff²

An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; of obscure origin; perhaps from German Stoff stuff

Word History and Origins

Origin of staff¹

Old English stæf ; related to Old Frisian stef , Old Saxon staf , German Stab , Old Norse stafr , Gothic Stafs ; see stave

Origin of staff²

C19: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

I kept loose tabs on the girls through social media, occasional text exchanges and reports from Carroll Academy staff who had heard things.

From New York Times

The in-person training program will focus mainly on preteens and teenagers but can be tailored to younger children, as well as staff and parents, officials said in a news release.

From Los Angeles Times

Richardson faced criticism over her tenure in Congress, where a House Ethics Committee investigation found her guilty in 2012 of compelling congressional staff to work on her campaign.

From Los Angeles Times

Network Auctions said it could not offer viewings due to the internal condition of the property and staff had not inspected it.

From BBC

His output was all the more impressive considering the training staff had told Cronin about a half-hour before the game that they didn’t know if Mara could play because of bad headaches.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• cadre
• crew
• faculty
• force
• organization
• personnel
• team
• work force

What Is The Plural Of Staff?

Plural word for staff

The plural form of staff is staffs. For some meanings of the word staff, staves, pronounced [ steyvz ] is also an acceptable plural form. However, it is easier to use the plural form staffs, which is valid for all meanings of the word staff. 

The plural of several other words that end in -f are also formed this way, including playoff/playoffs, cliff/cliffs, and roof/roofs. In some instances, words that end in -f are made plural by changing the ending to -ves, as in half/halves or leaf/leaves, which derives directly from their original pluralization in Old English. This is the plural form we see in staff/staves.